Somewhere
by MusicGirl24
Summary: Bella tripped over a loose floorboard in her room. she finds some things she thought she had lost under it. does this mean Edward really loves her? she's going to find out. but where do you look first? variation on New Moon.
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

**A/N: I have previously posted this on Twilight Archives. it was MY most popular story there. there is a sequel posted there as well as the rest of this. the link to my profile where you can find the full story is on my profile here. hope you enjoy the first chapter!  
**

**Somewhere**

Chapter 1: Discovery

Bella's POV

I picked up the box containing the rest of the things from my room. At one time in my life, I had hoped I would not reach this particular milestone. That was all gone now. I was moving out of Charlie's house, going to college.

The University of Washington was a perfect place for me to go to college in every way. Angela and Ben were going there, too. Miraculously, Angela was my roommate in the new dorm I would be living in.

It's also close enough that – if my truck can make it – I could visit Charlie, Jake, and the rest of the werewolf pack that I had grown to love on the weekends.

But that was not my biggest reason for going to the University of Washington. Charlie had thought that I would go somewhere warmer, but didn't mind my decision. I could not have gone to somewhere warm. If I did, it would seem as if _he_ never existed, as if it was all a dream. _He _could never be somewhere warm. Though I had lost hope long ago, I could never go somewhere where he could have never existed.

I didn't have a chance at being a vampire; not anymore.

I sighed and started to walk towards the door to finish loading my stuff into my truck. I tripped in the middle of the room, dropping the box. I thought I had tripped over my own feet, as usual, but when I looked behind me, to see what I had tripped over, I saw a floorboard flipped up.

I got up to close it, but stopped when I saw what was under it. There, under a loose floorboard, was the stuff I thought he had taken last year. The plane tickets, the pictures, and the CD.

I gasped. My mind was whirling. If he had left my stuff here… Did that mean he wanted me to remember him? I remembered him telling me that strong emotions change his kind, and once that happens, there's no going back.

But, he could've been lying to me the whole time we were together. He could've just been trying to help a little clumsy human, like me, who couldn't help but trip over her own feet at every opportunity.

I knew that I might be wrong, but I made a big decision right then. I would find him, no matter what it took. I had to know if he really did love me. If he didn't, I would like to think I could just walk away, and leave him alone.

I guess I wouldn't be going to college now. I was still 18, but my birthday was in a few weeks. I had to do this while I was still in my teens, just in case he changed his mind and decided to change me.

I hurried down the stairs with the box I had dropped and threw it in the bed of my truck. Charlie had to think I was still going to college. He wasn't home yet, but he would be soon. I had to hurry unless I wanted to tell him that I was skipping out on college to search for my lost vampire love.

I ran into the kitchen and picked up the phone to call Angela. I was lucky, I didn't trip coming in I here; I couldn't afford any delays right now. I dialed Angela's number and tapped my foot on the kitchen floor as I waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Angela said.

"Hey Angela, I'm not coming." I thought for a few seconds about where I could go. I decided on Denali. He had said that they had other family there. So, even if he wasn't there, maybe I could find at least one member of the Cullen family to help me. "I'm going to Alaska instead. I'll call you the next time I get to a phone," I told her in a rush.

"What?! Why are you going to Alaska? Bella, you need to go to college. Come up here," she pressured me, referring to the dorm room we were supposed to share that she had moved into yesterday.

"I have to go. Charlie will be home soon. Don't tell anybody about this, okay?"

"I won't tell, but this is a really bad idea. You should–"I hung up on her because I only had a few minutes until Charlie would be home. Angela was my best friend, but I couldn't have her trying to persuade me to not go to Alaska over the phone when Charlie got home.

I quickly ran up the stairs, only tripping once – a miracle for me. I grabbed the old shoe box containing the money from the Pacific Northwest Trust from under my bed. I had wanted to give it all back, but I really did need the money for college. Eventually, all the money could not fit in the old sock that used to contain my college fund. So, I had switched it to a shoe box that I hid under my bed. Charlie isn't one to pry, so I had never bothered to come up with a better hiding place.

I ran down the stairs and out the front door, and threw the old shoe box into my duffel bag that I had all ready put into my truck bed earlier.

I had just gotten in the cab and was about to turn the key in the ignition when Charlie pulled into the driveway.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "I thought you were leaving after dinner."

"I was going to…but Angela called, and she needs help unpacking," I said in a rush, hoping Charlie didn't catch my bluff.

"Oh…ok then. See ya in a couple weeks, Bells."

"Ok Dad." I agreed, knowing I wouldn't be here. I hated lying to him, but this time it was for his own good.

I drove away wondering when I would see him again, _if _I ever see him again. I held back my tears as I drove the long drive to the SeaTac airport.

When I got to the airport, I got out of the car and grabbed the few boxes in the truck bed that had things I would not need for my trip in them. Everything I needed was in my duffel bag. I stuffed the boxes under the seats in the truck's cab and locked the door. I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and headed into the airport.

I had to wait in a long line to get my ticket, and I was starting to get impatient. When I finally made it to the front of the line, I bought a ticket to the airport closest to Denali. I had no idea where that was, because I had not had time to look it up, but the lady behind the counter did. I got the money for the ticket out of my bag – I had more than enough – careful not to show the woman how much I had. I didn't want anybody trying to rob me right now.

The woman gave me my ticket and I headed toward the metal detectors off to the side of the ticket counters. Once I had gotten through the annoying security I found the gate I was looking for. Twenty minutes later, the plane started boarding.

I got on to the plane, not knowing how I was going to be able to find the mysterious house in Denali. I could probably rent a car.

That didn't matter right now. I patiently waited out my time on the plane, hoping that, if I didn't find Edward in Denali, I would find at least one member of the Cullen family that I missed so terribly.

**A/N: well? what did you think? Review!=]**


	2. Chapter 2: Mission

**A/N: I just have to say...THANK YOU! I woke up one morning to bunch of stuff in my inbox with a bunch of alerts and favorites, and 2 reviews! well, it could've been better with the reviews, but I'm not one to complain about that stuff. enjoy chapter 2! I'm going to be uploading a chapter of this every day so that I can catch this site up with where I am on TA!**

Chapter 2: Mission

Bella's POV

When I got off the plane I was greeted by an unexpected guest. Though, if I'd known she was in Denali, it would've been completely expected.

"Alice!" I ran into her open arms. I would probably have bruises in the morning because she was so hard, but I didn't care. After almost a year apart, I was seeing my best friend again.

"Hey Bella," she said happily. "I guess you know how I knew to come here."

"Oh, Alice, I'm so happy to see you!" For once in a very long time, I was truly happy.

"Why are you here anyway?" she asked.

"You don't know?"

"No, I can only see you telling me that if you were planning on seeing me here," she informed me.

"Well, I found my birthday presents from last year under a floorboard in my room, and that made me wonder if he really does love me. So, I'm going to find him. I thought Denali would be a good place to start," I explained my mission.

"Bella…" Alice said disapprovingly. "How could you think he-"

"I don't want to hear anything about him right now," I cut her off. "I want to find out for myself."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine, but I'm coming with you."

"You can't! He'll read your thoughts and run away before I can get to him!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh well. You'll never catch him as a human, especially without me. I guess we should just make him even angrier," she muttered to herself. "Come on, let's go back to the house." She grabbed my hand and pulled me along, out the doors, to Carlisle's black Mercedes.

We got into the car and Alice sped off into the night. I looked out the windows as we drove. The surroundings reminded me of the Cullens' drive. The house was secluded and very hard to find, just like the big white house on the river.

After a few minutes, I asked Alice my burning question.

"Where is he?" I asked, thinking Alice would've seen him in one of her visions or he might be at the house. I had to be ready if he was here in Denali.

"Nobody knows," she answered. "He's careful not to pass by signs that may tell me, and he won't answer his phone so I can ask him."

"Oh," I said in defeat. The silence continued on until I could see the house in the distance.

"Alice?" I broke the silence. "What did you mean about not being able to catch him human and making him even angrier?"

"According to him, I'm not supposed to even see you, let alone be looking for you in my visions. So, he'll be mad at first about that," she answered part of my question.

"What about the not catching him human part?"

"You haven't guessed that part yet?" I shook my head. "Bella, unless you don't want me to, I'm going to make sure you're changed. He can be mad all he wants; he should have changed you before."

"You're going to change me?!" I asked in shock. She nodded, never taking her eyes off the road. "Thank you Alice! Thank you! Thank you!" I said jumping up and down in my seat and hugging her.

"Bella, calm down." She put a restraining hand on my shoulder to stop me as we pulled up to the house in question. "Don't forget the consequences of being a newborn. You will have to wait to go searching for him."

"Oh, I forgot about that. Will I really be that bad?"

"Most likely. Now we need to go inside."

"Ok." We got out of the car and walked up the steps to the huge house. Alice opened the door, only to be hit by a chorus of worried voices.

"Where were you?!" I heard the beautiful voices of ten vampires ask.

"I had to pick someone up." Alice was still standing in the doorway, blocking me from view. She pulled me through the door and I heard the gasps of the vampires who, just a moment ago, had been wondering where Alice could be. I looked around the room. Though I all ready knew he would not be there, I still hoped.

I stared into the faces of the five vampires I hadn't met. These must be the Denali's.

Esme was the first one to approach me."It's so good to see you Bella!" she said, locking me in a stone embrace

Before I could say anything, I heard a snide vampire speak. "So this is why he's not here, too."

"Huh?" I was confused of why I meant that Edward wouldn't be here. Did that mean I was driving him apart from his family?

"Haven't you noticed he's not here? The rest of the Cullens said it was because of you," the vampire I had yet to know the name of continued.

"And you are..?" I trailed off.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Tanya. These are my two sisters: Kate and Irina," she pointed to the two girls standing on her left, "and this is Carmen and Eleazar." She pointed to a young couple to her right.

"Nice to meet you," I greeted them, though I was still worried about why I was driving Edward and his family apart.

"Wow. She just shows up and everybody is all happy to see her, yet nobody cares about why she's here!" Rosalie sneered from beside Emmett.

"Um…" I said trying to think of the best way to explain.

"She found the things Edward hid under her floorboards," Alice interjected. "She wants to find him. I wanted to come with her, but she won't let me. So, I figure the best move would be to change her like we should have done a long time ago."

"Does that mean he will stop hiding away and come back to us?" Rosalie asked excitedly.

Everybody keeps saying he's hiding away. Why? Did this have to do with his "distractions?"

Before I could ask about Edward, Carlisle spoke. "Bella, you do know the consequences of being changed, right?"

"Yes. And I'm willing to accept them to find Edward."

"Ok. When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible," I said confidently.

**A/N: yeah, I know, not as good. it will get better. my favorite chapter happens to be chapter 6=D. Review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Change

**A/N: well, this chapter could be a whole lot better, but I'm not setting out on rewriting BD without Edward. so I'm not gonna do some big montage for her change.**

Chapter 3: Change

Bella's POV

Carlisle was set to be the one to change me. Alice couldn't do it because she was not as practiced as Carlisle and might lose control.

He was all set to change me when I remembered something I had to do.

"Alice, can I use your phone?"

"Sure, whatever you need." She handed me the small silver device. I dialed the number and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" the husky voice I was looking for answered.

"Hey Jake."

"Hey Bells! So how's your dorm? I came up to see you before you left, but Charlie said you had to go early. You can come down this weekend though, right?"

"Jake, I can't come. I'm not even at college. I-"

"Don't tell him!" I heard Alice yell behind me.

"You what? Why aren't you at college? And who was that that just told you not to tell me something?" Jake asked through the phone.

I hesitated. I had been planning on telling Jake everything, but now I wasn't so sure.

"You would never hurt me right?" I had to make sure that he would not try to attack me or the Cullens after the treaty was broken.

"Of course not! Why would I ever do that?!" he sounded offended.

"What if the treaty was broken?" I asked cautiously

"Bella! Didn't I just tell you not to tell him anything?" Alice was extremely angry.

What I was trying to tell Jacob must have clicked in his mind then because he reacted very strongly. "WHAT?! You're with those filthy leeches aren't you? And they're going to turn you into one of them?! Where are you? I'm coming to get you." I could hear him stomping around his house looking for his car keys.

"You'll never get to me in time. I want to be changed. It's the only way I'll ever find him."

"Find him? Why would you want to do that after what he did to you? He doesn't love you Bella! I do!"

"I'm not so sure of that any more, Jacob. He might still love me. I have to find him."

"Bella, think of Charlie and Renee! Think of your friends! Think of _me_!" Jake was pulling every last string to try to get me to stay human. It was hard to turn away from the things he was talking about, but I had to find Edward. I had to be with him.

"I am thinking of everybody!" I tried to calm him down. Everyone human around me was still in danger. Once I was a vampire they would be safe. I couldn't stand to see them hurt. "Victoria is still out there! Everybody I know is in danger while I'm still human! This is for the best. I need to find Edward. I love him. I'm sorry Jake." I hung up then because I couldn't take any more of Jacob trying to talk me out of this. I had made my decision, and I was going to follow through with it.

"Are you ready Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," I said as I sauntered forward to be changed into the beautiful creature I had dreamed of.

*****

For the next three days I endured the immense pain of the venom's fire. I did not complain, though. This is what I had wanted. If this meant I could find Edward and be with him for eternity, I would take any pain.

I awoke to see everybody standing over me, completely silent.

Although nobody spoke, I could hear everything. The footsteps of animals in the Alaskan woods, the quiet rustle of the trees as the wind whisked through them; things that would not have been audible to my human ears.

Alice had a small mirror in her hand. She held it up to me.

"Whoa." My voice sounded like bells when I spoke.

I was beautiful. Nowhere near as beautiful as the incarnation of pure beauty which was Rosalie, but like Alice or Esme.

Carlisle and Alice took me hunting out in the Alaskan Wilderness outside the house. I relished the taste of the deer's blood as it ran down my throat. It did not smell nearly as good as the hikers around here, but it quenched my thirst.

Everyone commended me on my self-control. Somehow I had been able to resist hunting the hikers that were all around here.

"Do you think I can start looking now?" I asked Alice after about a month.

"I guess. Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" she tried one last time to change my mind.

"He'll hear your thoughts, Alice. I can't risk that."

"Fine!" She crossed her arms and glared at the wall.

"Can I borrow your phone again Alice?"

She turned toward me and her face smoothed out. "As long as you're not calling any werewolves to tell them something that could get us attacked," she warned me as she handed me her cell phone.

"I won't." I opened the phone and scrolled through the contacts. I found the one I wanted and hit the little green SEND button.

I was very nervous. I know Alice had said that he wouldn't answer his phone, but I had to try. If he didn't answer, I would leave a message. There might be a chance to find out where he was.

I made a small promise to myself as I waited to see if he would actually pick up. If he started to try to find out where I was, I would hang up. I didn't want to give him the chance to run away from me.

I gasped as I heard his velvet voice come through the phone.

**A/N: I know I've had some complaints before about people being mad at where I cut it off. that's because I LOVE cliffhangers! I really need to write more of those. I haven't been writing as many these days. Review!=]**


	4. Chapter 4: Caving

**A/N: ok, I know some may be mad at what Edward's going to do, but this is actually the first chapter I wrote. he would be found way too easily if he just stayed put. enjoy!  
**

Chapter 4: Caving

Edward's POV

I don't know where I am and I don't care. Life was meaningless now. I had lost everything I had ever cared about due to the biggest mistake in my entire existence.

Nothing matters anymore now. After what I had done to my love, I could never get her back. How could I have ever told her that I didn't love her? She couldn't have possibly believed me. But I couldn't help but wonder if she had. There was no point to my life.

I regret my decision to leave now, but there was no going back. I had promised Bella that she would never see me again and I was going to stick to my promise. I had come close to caving many times, but I had restrained myself.

_You could go back, _that little voice inside my head whispered yet again. _She might forgive you if you get down on your knees and beg. You might still have a chance._

No! I could not go back. Bella deserved a better life than what I could give her. She deserved to be human.

It was night now and I desperately needed to hunt, but I didn't move an inch. I hadn't hunted for weeks now. I was afraid that if I moved, my legs might carry me back to my safe haven. Back to_ her._

I had been trying to find Victoria, but I had lost her. The only way I would be able to track her would be if I hunted.

I sighed and reluctantly got up to leave my hiding spot. I didn't trust myself, but I needed to hunt if I was going to be anywhere near humans.

I ran off into the forest and found a few deer. I settled for them, not wanting to go looking for any larger prey. I quickly drained them, my thoughts roaming miles away to a small town in northern Washington where the girl I loved lay asleep right now.

My phone rang yet another time as I started to run back to my hiding spot. I came to a halt and took the annoying little device out of my pocket to answer it. Maybe if I told whoever kept calling me to go away then I could get on with my miserable life.

The caller ID said it was Alice. Of course it was her. She probably wanted to tell me some news about Bella with somebody else, having moved on from me, so that I could move on. She always wanted to update me on Bella, even though I didn't want to hear it. Why would I want to hear about my angel when she was probably with somebody else? I wanted to be with her so badly, but I could not. Not with the constant danger I always put her in when I was with her. Every time Alice got close to telling me something, I hung up on her. She had been trying to reach me since the day after I left Bella.

I flipped open my phone. "What do you want Alice?" I asked sharply. I heard an intake of breath on the other end before someone else answered.

"I'm not Alice," the voice answered. It was the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. It sounded like my angel's voice, but different somehow.

Great, I'm hallucinating now! That's never good.

"Alice, quit trying to sound like Bella! I know it's you!" I screeched into the phone. It couldn't possibly be Bella.

"What did I do? I wasn't even talking! Bella, what is he talking about? What did I do?" I heard Alice ask, clearly not talking into the phone.

I gasped. Did she just say Bella?! I wasn't hallucinating? I just yelled at my angel for saying that she wasn't who she said she was.

"Bella?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes, it's me," she answered slowly.

My head was filled with questions. How did she get Alice's phone? As far as I knew, Alice had been in Denali with Jasper since she got back from Biloxi, and Jasper got back from Cornell. How had Bella gotten to Denali? Or had Alice gone back to Forks, even though I told her not to? I decided to address my original question first.

"Why do you have Alice's phone?"

"She gave it to me so that I could call you to tell you something," my angel responded.

"Bella, where are you?" I asked quickly before she could continue telling me whatever she wanted to tell me.

"That doesn't matter," she replied. "I'm not giving you the chance to run away from me this time. I'm coming to find you. Don't try to stop me."

"Bella, what do you mean run away from you?!" I asked urgently into the phone, realizing now that she had all ready hung up.

I was broken. The one chance in a year to talk to Bella and I had wasted it. I could've taken the time to tell her how much I loved her, how bad of a mistake I had made.

She had said she was coming to get me. How would she find me? _I _didn't even know where I was! It was obvious that she wasn't with anybody, otherwise why would she want to find me? So, I would find her. I would go back to her. Yes, I was caving, but it didn't matter any more; I couldn't live one more day without Bella.

I would like to have believed that I could've put up with the growing pain inside me for the duration of Bella's human life; but I knew that I would have gone back sooner or later.

There was no way that Bella would be able to find me anyway. Where would she even get the money to get a plane ticket? She never would accept anything from my family. Sure, she could use the money from that stupid program I made up, but she needed that money for college!

I ran to the nearest airport I could find. Apparently, I was in Brazil, though I didn't bother to look for which city. I quickly paid for my plane ticket and went through security, over to my gate.

I was to take the next plane to Los Angeles, and then continue to Seattle. Luckily it would be night in LA when I arrived, so I wouldn't have to worry about the sunlight pouring in from the windows like I would have to during the day.

My thoughts were of my one and only love as I boarded the plane that would eventually get me back to the only place I would ever be able to call home.

**A/N: see? no reason to worry about the story being cut short. the story is actually 9 chapters to this. but don't worry! there is a sequel, and there will be a sequel to the sequel! I'm just not one of those people who writes super long stories for one plot. 50 chapters people? how did you write that much on one subject? unless all your chapters aren't even a page long. chapter 5 tomorrow! be prepared for MAJOR cliffhanger! Review!=]**


	5. Chapter 5: Gone

**A/N: ok, here it is, the mega chapter. it is Edward's POV first and then Bella's POV after. prepare yourself. cliffhanger ahead.  
**

Chapter 5: Gone

Edward's POV

Once I got to Seattle, it was still dark, but the sun would rise soon. It looked as if, for once, Seattle might have a sunny day. I had to get out of the airport quick, before the sun rose.

`I ran out the doors and into the parking garage. The sun was rising, so I had to be blocked from it. I looked out the side of the structure to see the sky turning from black to oranges and pinks. I really had to hurry.

I ran out of the parking garage and into some trees. I didn't have a car. I could run, but then I would have to worry about the sun.

I looked behind me into the trees. My car should be back at the old house, where I had brought it after saying goodbye to Bella. I had run away after leaving it there, not wanting to smell her scent saturated into my car. How could I have ever had the strength to leave Bella? It seemed impossible now that I would have ever had that strength.

I turned and ran through the trees. Luckily, there weren't many breaks in them where sun could get through, in case a person just outside the forest had noticed a glint of light flash at them, even for a split second.

I finally found the house, surrounded in waist-high weeds. I tore through them and made my way to the garage. The keys were still inside the lock on the door, just like I had left them. I got into the car and started the ignition.

I sped down the highway towards Forks while ignoring my cell phone's ringing. It was probably Alice waiting to tell me something that I didn't want to hear. Alice was probably back in Forks right now anyway. I hadn't bothered to go into the house. Maybe she was waiting for me to come in the house, and got impatient. Either way, I didn't want to answer my annoying psychic sister.

I drove to Bella's house and got out of the car. It was early in the morning, but she should be up right now. I went up and knocked on the door. A _very _shocked Charlie answered the door. She must not be up yet.

_Why is _he _here?! He left! He ruined my daughter! How can he possibly have the nerve to come to _my _house?! _Charlie continued to attack me with his thoughts, imagining different things he could do to me which, to his dismay, would not work on a vampire. I just stood there waiting for him to actually speak. After a few more moments he decided to finally talk.

"Why are you here?!! Do you know what you did to my daughter? The way she acted, she might as well have been dead! And you have the nerve to show up at _my _house a year later?!" Charlie screamed at me. But the words were not what hurt the most. It was the memories he was replaying in his head.

It was Bella. Not the Bella I knew. She was extremely thin and even paler. She had dark circles under her eyes. And when you looked into their eyes, they were empty. There was no life in her.

How could this have happened? There was no way her love for me could've exceeded mine for her. Yet, this is what I had imagined I would have looked like for the last year if I was human.

"Where is she?" I asked in order to stop the painful memories from continuing to go through his head.

"She's at the University of Washington going to college. I haven't seen her in over a month. Every time I call, her roommate Angela says she's busy. I'm getting worried, but I don't think you would help her. You've messed her up enough! Stay away from her!"

The University of Washington? I would've thought that Bella would have gone somewhere warmer. The last I heard, she despised the weather around here. Why would she want to spend an extra four more years in it?

At least Angela was her roommate. I have never come across such a kind person as her.

I needed to go see her before she started looking for me. I would attend to my traitor of a sister later.

"I have to go," I said quickly, turning around and heading to my car.

"Don't come back! And don't you dare go and bother Bella!" Charlie yelled after me.

_I really shouldn't have told him where she is. That was a really bad move. Maybe I should try calling her dorm again to warn her…_ I heard Charlie think as he walked back into the house towards the kitchen to call Bella. I was all ready speeding away by the time he closed the door.

Bella's POV

"Ha! I found him! He's in Brazil. I don't know which city. I didn't see them with him, but I'll bet he was staying with Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri." Alice rejoiced as I hung up on Edward, pain coursing through me from having to do such a thing.

I wrapped my arms around my middle to hold myself together. I hadn't had to do this is months, but right now, my pain was uncontrollable. Hearing his voice again was bringing me to pieces.

He had sounded so concerned, so loving. This only strengthened the idea that he might actually love me. If this was true, then I would never be able to truly understand why he left me. If he really did love me, how could he ever stay away? I was so confused.

"Time to go!" Alice piped up, pulling me from my confused thoughts. "Before I have to start looking for him again, please."

"Ok." I picked up the bag I had prepared a few days ago, in case Alice actually let me go.

Alice tried to hand me a cell phone, but I rejected it. I didn't like any of the Cullens spending money on me. She frowned.

"I'll keep in touch somehow. I just don't want you spending money on me," I told a dejected Alice.

Her frown deepened. "Alice! I have plenty of money!" I tried to convince her. She looked at me suspiciously.

"You've never had much money, Bella."

"I'm serious! I got it from the Pacific Northwest Trust. Or as I like to call it, the Edward-giving-me-extra-money-I-don't-need Trust," I told her my more descriptive name for the "program."

"How much did he give you?"

"I got twenty thousand to start and I get an extra five thousand every month. Right now I have at least fifty thousand dollars!"

"How come you accepted _that_ from Edward?"

"Well, I was going to get rid of it, but then I was looking at tuition for college, and I decided I really needed the money."

"Can I at least help you with your wardrobe?" she asked in a last attempt to do something for me. "You're in desperate need of some better clothes!" She looked down at my simple jeans and a t-shirt combo. It was perfect for me, but Alice absolutely _hated _how I dressed. I didn't want to be Alice's Barbie Doll. Plus, there was no way I would be able to run in the things she had in mind for me.

"NO! I don't want anything Alice!"

"Hmph." She crossed her arms and left the room.

I decided that was my cue to leave. I said goodbye to everybody else and headed out the door towards the airport.

The smells of the humans was tantalizing, but I was able to restrain myself by holding my breath pretty much the whole way to Brazil.

I headed for the exit as soon as I got off the plane. I did not have any check-in baggage; only a medium sized bag that I used as my carry-on.

I looked at the wildlife around me as I stepped out of the airport's doors. The trees enveloped me as I walked into them.

I took my mind off the scenery and brought my mission to the front of my mind. I had to seek out the Amazon vampires. If I found them, I would probably find Edward.

I started searching through the wildlife to find the smell of other vampires. I was still a newborn, so it took me longer to find the scent than it would a mature vampire because I kept getting distracted. The smallest sounds kept causing me to whip my head up and look for its source. I really needed my human hearing right now. Sure, they were sometimes helpful, but not very often. I wonder if they make vampire earplugs…

I finally found the right scent and followed it. I ran for many miles through the large collection of trees along the river.

After a while, I came to a small camp. There were no sleeping bags, only three tents for shelter and a fire. Around the fire sat three very wild-looking vampires. They were only animal skins, and they looked as if they had been stretched. The red eyes did not help. They turned to face me as I entered the small clearing that was the site of the camp.

"Who are you?" the largest woman, probably the leader, asked me, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm Bella Cullen," I said, changing my last name so that they might have a chance of knowing who I was. "I'm looking for Edward Cullen."

"Cullen? You're not a Cullen. You have red eyes. Carlisle would never let a vampire who drinks human blood join his coven," she pointed out.

"I'm a newborn. Now, do you know where Edward is or not?"

"I've never met him," the leader replied.

My face fell. Alice had been wrong. He was never with the Amazon vampires. He had probably run off to some other place in the world. Maybe he didn't love me. Maybe it was a false hope. I still had a little hope though. I had found that stuff under my floorboard. That must mean something. I turned to leave when I heard a new voice speak. I turned around to face the three women again.

"Zafrina?" the woman to the left of the leader asked.

"What is it Senna?" Zafrina looked back at her, a concerned look on her face.

"Kachiri did come across the scent of another vampire about a week ago while we were hunting," Senna admitted. Zafrina stared back in shock. Obviously she hadn't been informed of this little detail of their hunting trip. "We started to follow it," Senna continued, "but it went through the city and we really needed to hunt."

I stared at the two other women, Senna and Kachiri. Maybe they could help me. Zafrina clearly didn't know a thing about Edward. What would I do when I found him? Would my theory be true? Or am I completely off? I was starting to think about where in the city he might be when a voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"What are you doing?" Zafrina stared back at me confused.

"I'm not doing anything," I answered back defensively.

"You must be! You looked anxious so I tried to put you at a quiet beach to calm you down, but you still look anxious. Do you have something against beaches?"

"Beach? I didn't see anything. How could you put me at a beach anyway?"

"That's my power," she informed me. "I can put you into any scene I want, whether it is scary or calming. I wonder why you didn't see it."

I thought back to why I wouldn't have been able to see something if she tried to put that image into my mind. I remember a detail of Edward and I's relationship that might help understand this situation.

"Edward couldn't read my mind even when I was human. That's his power, mind-reading. Maybe you can't get into my head either."

"Interesting theory. I've heard of mental shields before, but I've never encountered one. You must be pretty powerful if he couldn't read your mind while you were human."

I had no idea what she was talking about. Then again, I have never known any vampires other than the Cullens, the Denalis and James' coven. I only knew of three people with powers. I hadn't though of asking the Denalis if they had any, so I probably knew even more. I had heard Eleazar mumbling something that sounded like "shield" a few days after my transformation, but I had never thought anything of it.

"What's a shield?" I asked.

"It means that you can block out other vampires' powers. Yours appears to be mental. I don't know how powerful yours is, but it would be fun to test it. I'd like to see how you fare against the Volturi."

Volturi. I remember Carlisle telling me about them before I was changed. They had filled me in on everything they could think of about vampires before Carlisle bit me. But they hadn't mentioned anything about any powers pertaining to the Volturi, or to anyone for that matter.

"The Volturi have powers? Or are they just good fighters?" I asked Zafrina yet another question.

"Of course! Haven't you heard of their evil twins? Jane and Alec?"

"No."

"Well we need to fix that. And I'm assuming, since you're a newborn, you don't know how to fight?" I nodded. "We'll train you to fight then too. Otherwise, you will probably be killed by your first challenger. I'd also like to experiment with that shield. I've heard of some shields being able to project, even though I've never met one, I bet you could-" Zafrina babbled on.

"Whoa. Slow down! What do you mean project?" I stopped her midsentence.

"Well I've never seen it, but apparently some shields can push out their shield so they can incorporate other people. I have no experience with it. If you can project, you might also want to try pulling it back to strengthen it."

The onslaught of information sent my mind reeling. Could I ever find another shield to help me? Could _I _project? If I could, was it possible to protect the people I loved, instead of just standing by like I used to? Would I actually be able to _fight? _I'd never thought about that, but now that I did, I wondered who I would end up fighting during the rest of my existence. I wouldn't have to just stand by and watch the people I loved fight. I could learn to fight! I could help!

Though I was very excited about learning to fight and project, I kept my voice calm and even. "Ok," I agreed.

"We will start tomorrow then. Come, sit down," she patted the spot on the ground next to her. I walked the few yards over to her and sat down. I remembered how I had wanted to follow that scent, but I figured it could wait.

We talked through the night about many things. I told them my mission and why I was here. I told them about Edward and how he had left. I even told them about the werewolves. They were shocked about that one. They had thought that werewolves were extinct. Apparently the ones in La Push weren't alone.

In return they told me about themselves. Zafrina told me more about her gift and how it works. Senna told me about that scent I had been wondering about it and how she had followed it only half of the way and then had to break off to go hunt. I was still disgusted that any of them could eat humans, but I understood it was how they live and I know how hard it is to resist their scent.

The most intriguing story was Kachiri's one about the vampire hybrid. I had not even known that was possible. I briefly wondered what it would look like if Edward and I had had a baby. That was impossible now; I was all ready changed. I would have to remember to tell the rest of the Cullens about this story. Carlisle would be thrilled with the glory of new information.

They told me about the Volturi's powers; like they had promised. I wondered if any of their mental powers would work on me. I knew for sure that the leader's, Aro, wouldn't. He was a mind reader, but he needed physical contact. If Edward couldn't read my mind, there was no way that Aro could. I decided that I didn't want to find out if _any _of the Volturi's powers would work on me. From what Senna, Kachiri, and Zafrina told me, I didn't want to deal with them.

The next day we started following the scent. We'd decided that I could learn to fight later. I needed to track this scent before the next rain washed it away.

Kachiri, Zafrina, and Senna came along to help me. We had been following the scent for about five miles when I came across the alluring smell of a jaguar. I hadn't hunted for weeks now, so I started charging after it before I knew what I was doing.

"We'll leave you to hunt in peace," Kachiri said as they turned around and ran back the way we had come.

I tackled it to the ground and quickly drained the jaguar. Once there was no blood left to the wild cat, I moved on to find something else to fully quench my thirst. I looked around and found a deer. It was not as appealing as the jaguar had been, but blood still ran through it and I was still thirsty. I ran over and sucked it dry anyway because I was still a newborn and I needed more blood than a mature vampire would.

I had just stood up after dropping the empty carcass to the ground when I heard the smallest rustle of the leaves on the ground behind me.

I turned around to inspect the sound only to find that someone was watching me.

**A/N: ok, see the big ol' cliffhanger right there ^? I'm gonna make the same deal with my readers here as I did with the other site. If anyone can guess who might be standing behind Bella, then I will tell you whether you are right or wrong, hot or cold, that kind of thing. good luck! Review!=]**


	6. Chapter 6: Vengeance

**A/N: so here we have it! my favorite chapter! I had did have a few guesses for who was behind Bella and I would like to congratulate pledge520 for being the first person to ever guess correctly! before I always had people thinking it must be someone she likes. on both sites I've had Edward(mulitple times, come on people! did you not read the part in chapter 5 about him going to Seattle?), Alice, Jacob, and my newest one is Nahuel. they're all great guesses but sadly not correct. enjoy this awesome chapter!  
**

Chapter 6: Vengeance

Bella's POV

Behind me, looking as if she had been watching me the whole time was none other than Victoria.

I gasped as I looked at the she-devil. I had never seen her, other than that time in the baseball field that seemed like it had been eons ago. She had leaves through her flame red hair and she wore no shoes. Her clothes were worn and covered in dirt. Her crimson eyes bored into mine.

"V-V-Victoria?" I stammered as she looked at me in a threatening way.

"Yes Bella. I have been looking for you. I thought you were in that tiny little town up in Washington, but then I saw that you had boarded a plane to Brazil from Alaska. I would've gotten here sooner if those wolves hadn't gotten to me. Now, vampire or not, it is time for you to die so that your precious little mate can feel the same pain I did when he killed James," she told me her plan. I could hear the love and devotion in her voice when she said James's name.

I now regretted not asking to learn to fight earlier. The scent could've waited. I couldn't even look for Edward let alone track his scent unless I was alive. There was no way I could survive this.

She started to walk toward me and we began circling in the small break in the trees.

As an instinct, I recalled the little self defense that I knew. I shoved it aside when I remembered that none of this would do any good against an experienced vampire opponent. I braced myself for her attack, closing my eyes as I did not want to the wild flames of her hair come at me.

She jumped at me, slamming me into one of the trees that were surrounding us, bringing it to the ground. She had her hand on my neck, ready to snap it. I swiftly brought my hand to my neck and pulled hers away. She was using all her strength. The resistance caused her left hand to flip back and snap off. She screamed and jumped back.

I found out just how strong I was then. If I could just get my arms around her to snap her in half; I could quickly tear the rest of her apart after that. I smiled as I realized I might actually have a chance of winning this.

"What are you smiling at?!" she shouted, putting the nub where her hand used to be to her side. I hadn't noticed that she had been inspecting it until now.

"Nothing," I smiled wider, feeling even more devious. She just glared menacingly at me.

She came charging again, her arms ready to strangle me as she ran. She was obviously not prepared for any movement on my part, so I stepped to the side to throw her off, causing her to run into another tree and knock it to the ground.

I was feeling so empowered that I didn't notice her get up from the ground and come charging after me again to attack. She tackled me to the ground and tore off a piece of flesh from my neck before I realized what she was doing. I kicked both my legs at her stomach and pushed myself up with my hands, pushing Victoria back to her feet. I pushed her forward, making the few trees left around us fall to the ground. We had now created our own little clearing surrounded by fallen trees.

"You shouldn't have tried to fight a newborn, Victoria," I told her before I ripped the rest of her to shreds. "Even with no experience or training, I still won."

"I thought you were still human when I came," Victoria informed me. "I never thought I would end up fighting a newborn, but I wasn't about to give up the chance to kill you while I had you cornered. I just wanted to-" her voice broke off because I had charged her at this time and wrapped my arms tightly around my middle, snapping her in half as she screamed.

I pulled her head from her shoulders and severed her limbs from her body. I walked across the small clearing to where the backpack I had brought along lay. I got out the pack of matches that I had brought in case I needed to start a fire; I never anticipated that I would end up fighting anybody on my journey.

I dragged the match across the box to light it. Once it was lit I threw it toward the pile of white body parts and hair that looked like flames all ready that was in the corner. It instantly burst into flames, causing a long column of purple pungent smoke rising through the trees. I lit a few more matches and threw them in to make sure that all of her was burned to ashes.

I ran away so that the flames would not catch my skin. I ran back to the Amazon's campsite. They were all there, probably thinking I had been hunting this whole time.

I must have looked pretty bad because their eyes widened once they saw me.

"What happened to you?!" Senna asked in panic, staring at the spot on my neck that was now missing some flesh.

I gave myself a onceover. My clothes were ripped and covered in dirt. My hair was tangled and filled with things that had previously been on the ground. I tried to look at my neck, but I couldn't see it; so I settled for running my hand across it. Victoria had taken a piece of skin off a few inched in length and a about an inch wide. It wasn't very deep, but it probably would've killed me had I been human.

"Well, I was hunting and then someone came up behind me. Edward killed her mate a year and a half ago because he was trying to kill me, so she was trying to kill me for her revenge. I fought her and won somehow, but not before she got a piece out of me."

"So, Edward is your mate?" Zafrina asked.

"I don't know. He left about a year ago. I want to find him. He was in Brazil a few days ago, that's why I'm here. Alice Cullen sees visions of the future and she saw him in Brazil. She thought that he might be with you."

"Bella…How could you ever doubt that your mate doesn't love you? As vampires, our emotions don't change. He could never stop," Zafrina explained to me.

I didn't know whether to trust her or not. She sounded sincere, but what if Edward never had loved me? Then his emotions would have never changed. Then again, why would a godlike creature like him bother to waste any time with a feeble human like me? He hadn't done that with any of the other girls who would have gladly taken my place. Why me? This observation gave me a strong hope for the future to find him and spend eternity with him.

**A/N: so.......what did you think? wouldn't it be fun to be able to defeat your own enemy? I know I'd like to do that! oh, I forgot to mention something at the beginning of the story that is probably a source of the confusion. Victoria was alive(that's obvious now) and Bella jumped off the cliff with Jacob so Alice didn't see. Review!=]**


	7. Chapter 7: An Old Friend

**A/N:so here is chapter 7. this is set during the time when Bella is fighting, not after. it involves Edward's little trip to UW. **

**I would like to give a humongo THANK YOU! to all those people who have been favoriting, reviewing or adding this story to their alerts! it makes the annoying task of seperating the document into parts for each chapter so that I can post here worth while! **

**enjoy!  
**

Chapter 7: An Old Friend

Edward's POV

I drove all the way back to Seattle. It was nighttime and I didn't want to wait until morning to see Bella if she was here, nor did I want her to know I had come here if she wasn't here. I'd all ready made myself out to be a stalker when we had first met, I didn't need to intensify that image.

I got out of the Volvo and went around the dorm room buildings, searching for the thoughts of Bella's kind friend, Angela, who I knew to be her roommate.

_Where did I put that thing?! _I heard the thoughts of an impatient girl come from the second floor.

_Whoo! Go team!_ I heard an excited sports fan on the fifth floor.

_Where could she be? It's been over a month! Is she ever coming? _I recognized the "voice" of Angela's mind from the third floor.

I snuck into the building and took the stairs up to the third floor. I searched the thoughts on this floor to see which room I needed to go to.

_I really hope she's all right. _I smiled and ran at a human pace down the hall to the room from which the thoughts were coming from. I knocked on the door with three quick raps. Before the door was opened, I quickly checked my cell phone for the time. It was 10:00. A lot of the other students should be asleep, so probably nobody would come down the hall and find someone who was definitely not a student standing outside a freshman's door. I didn't want to end up being thrown out.

_Who could be knocking on my door at this time of night? _I heard Angela think behind the door. She opened the door and her jaw dropped. _Edward Cullen! Of all the people to come knocking on my door, it ends up to be him! He left a year ago, what could he be doing at my dorm? How did he find my dorm???_

"Hello Angela," I greeted her. "Is Bella here?"

_Bella? Oh right, Bella told me not to tell anybody, I must be the only one that knows where she is._

What was she talking about? Where was Bella and why would she not tell anybody where she is? I couldn't ask Angela because she didn't know I could read her thoughts. I guess I would just have to wait for her to answer my question.

I waited for a few more minutes for her to get over the shock until she finally answered my question.

"Bella's not here."

"Do you know where she is?"

_Oh no. Bella told me not to tell anybody about Alaska, but this is Edward. Wouldn't she want to see him? She did spend all those months grieving over him…_ An image of Bella with a lifeless look in her face over an untouched lunch tray flashed through her head. I cringed at the image, but kept my mouth shut, unable to stop it. _I guess I should tell him; Bella would be ecstatic if she got a visit from Edward._

"She went to Alaska. She never came here. Don't tell Charlie though, I'm not supposed to tell anybody."

Ah, so Bella had gone to see Alice. Well I would have to call Alice and tell her I was coming home. I turned to leave but I heard Angela's frantic voice behind me.

"Don't go! Can't I talk to you a little bit? I would like for you to know what happened after you left before you go looking for Bella." _I really need to warn him just how bad Bella was. It was so scary. He needs to be prepared to see the new Bella._

Had my leaving really been that bad? I turned back around only because Angela was very kind, so she would not tell me too much, and because she was right about me needing to be prepared to see how Bella had changed.

I came through the door and went to sit on the bed I assumed would have been Bella's. Angela closed the door and sat across from me on her bed.

"She's not the same Edward, she has changed," she started off. Another flash of the lifeless Bella came through her mind, except this time she was sitting next to an empty seat in our English class. I wanted nothing but to run to her, pull her to me and tell her how much I loved her. But I could not. Bella was not really here, that was just a memory. I shook my head trying to get the image out of my head. Angela eyed me strangely. _What's wrong with him?_

"How did she change?" I all ready had seen how she had changed physically. The dark circles under her eyes, the extremely pale skin, how skinny she was, and the lifeless look in her eyes. I couldn't believe that I had done this to her. Yet, she still took my breath away, as bad condition that she was in.

"She had no life to her. She wouldn't talk to anybody, she wouldn't eat, and she had a habit of putting her arms around her middle. She looked as if she was in physical pain when she did that." Another image came across this time, of Bella holding herself around her middle, her face scrunched up as if she was in pain. It was heartbreaking, but I could do nothing to make it go away. "She found Jacob a while ago, he brought some life back into her, but she never fully came back. I don't know what you you will come to if you do go to see her in Alaska." She looked down at her hands which were in her lap.

I never realized that Bella had loved me _that _much. I thought she was just like any other teenager with her first love. I never thought her love could come near the extent of mine. But the pictures flashing through Angela's mind told me otherwise. She looked like I would've right now if I was human.

"Do you know why she would've gone to Alaska? She wouldn't tell me why, only that she was skipping out on college to go there," Angela tore me from my thoughts._ Of all places she went to Alaska? What could be up there?_

Of course it was just like Bella to do something like that. Alice was going to pay for not telling me this. The semester would have started in September, it was October now. Bella must have been there for over a month now.

"That's where the rest of my family is," I informed her. _His family is there? I thought they went to LA. Well, I guess they moved back there._

"Why would you come here then? Shouldn't you have been with her up there?" she asked confusedly.

"I haven't seen my family in about six months," I confessed. _What? Where has he been then? Did he drop out of high school? I guess that wouldn't hurt him anyway, his perfect grades will probably get into any college he wants._

"I couldn't stand it. Your descriptions of Bella sound a lot like what I was going through, except I didn't have anybody to pull me out of it." I dropped my head and stared at the floor as I told her of my misfortune.

"Oh."

"I should go." I got up and walked over to open the door.

"I hope you find Bella!" She called out as I slipped into the hallway, closing the door behind me. Once I was out of the building I pulled my phone out my pocket and dialed Alice's number.

"Why didn't you tell me that Bella went to Alaska? She's been up there for over a month!" I yelled at my sister.

"Well _somebody _wouldn't answer my calls!" she yelled back.

"I'm coming up there."

"She's not here; she went to Brazil to find you."

"I'm going there then." I snapped the phone shut before she could answer. My phone started buzzing again, so I pressed the button to quiet it.

I got into my car and sped towards the airport I had been at only earlier today.

I bought a ticket to Brazil, but sadly there were no flights straight there. I had to accept the best offer, which was a layover for a day in Houston. I boarded my plane after going through security and tried to think of ways I could tell Bella I was sorry all the way to Houston.

When I stepped off the plane, I got out of the airport as fast as I could while still remaining inconspicuous.

Once I was outside, and out of sight from the humans, I ran to go hunt for my day in Houston. I had to be ready to see Bella and not kill her from the scent of her blood.

**A/N: Next chapter is.....Reunion! it is short, I know, I had this big plan originally and I was going to make it into a songfic and everything but then it turned out that the thing wouldn't work due to out of characterness and conflicts with the sequel, which I happen to like better. I was still deciding what to do when I wrote this and the last chapter if you're wondering why I sent them to Houston. see you tomorrow for chapter#8: Together! and don't forget to read the epilogue after. that's the last chapter, but it has a tie in to the sequel. just wait and see;)  
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	8. Chapter 8: Together

**A/N: And here we are! the Reunion! **

Chapter 8: Together

Bella's POV

When I got off the plane, I immediately started to look around for Edward. If I was lucky, I would be able to intercept him while he was still at the airport. I didn't see him anywhere.

I quickly found the exit doors – luckily it was nighttime – and stepped out into the open. I didn't know exactly what his scent was because I had never seen him in this form, so I had to go off the one I faintly remembered from my time as a human. I searched around a little bit and finally found it.

I followed it for a few miles until it suddenly became even stronger. He must have lingered here for a while. Maybe he had been trying to hunt, this place _was_ pretty secluded.

After a few more minutes, I saw a flash of Bronze to my right. I turned to the side and ran after it. I didn't have to go very far.

There he was. His back was to me and he was standing perfectly still. I walked up to him at human speed as he turned around. The look on his face was that of awe.

I looked him up and down; I might as well have been blind as a human. He was so gorgeous. I could see every beautiful part of him now; the hard line of his jaw, the soft curve of his perfect lips, the beautiful color of his amber eyes.

He ran up to me and pulled me to his chest. I just laid my head there, extremely happy that I was with him after all this time.

I knew that the way he had reacted would have proved his love for anybody else, but I was still worried about whether he really did love me.

As if he really could read my mind, he said the words I had wanted to hear for the past year.

"I love you."

I smiled and responded in the same way. "I love you too." I leaned into him even more as he held me recklessly close. After a few moments of standing there like that, he brought his hand to my chin, and pulled my face up to look at him. Without a word he pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me the way I had longed for when I was human. We didn't have to worry about my safety anymore; we didn't have a care in the world.

When he finally pulled away, he asked a question. "Why are you in Houston?"

I thought back to the day before when Alice had told me about Edward having a day layover and Houston. How he had been coming to find _me._ "Alice told me you would be here. I wasn't kidding when I said I was coming to find you." I remembered the day I had called him to tell him that, and how hard it had been to have to hang up on him after I had heard his voice.

"Oh."

There was silence for many minutes. All of a sudden he started speaking very quickly as I remember he does when he's agitated.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I never should have left. I thought you would be better off without me. But I spoke to Angela before I got on the plane to Brazil to find you. I saw in her head just how bad it got for you. If I was human I would imagine I would look the same way. I –"

I put my hand to his mouth to stop him. I didn't want to hear any more apologies. I understood why he thought he had to leave, even if I didn't think it was valid. "It's ok. I know. I don't want to ever have to talk about this again. Let's just focus on the present."

He removed my hand from his mouth and took it in his. "Just one question then."

"What?"

"Why are you changed?"

Uh oh. I knew this question was coming, but I hoped that I would have more time to build up my answer. I decided to tell him the main reason that the rest of his family knew, not about my hoping. He would be angry enough that I was changed in the first place, let alone that I changed to be with him when he thought he wasn't worth it. He would never believe me, but he was worth so much more.

"Both Alice and I knew that there was no way I would ever be able to find you while I was human. So, Carlisle changed me. That was about a month ago."

He looked agitated, but he did not speak. We just stood there, holding each other, for the next several hours.

******

Edward's POV

I had just found a deer and was chasing it when I came across a different scent. It was new, but familiar somehow. I stopped in my tracks, letting my prey get away, and inhaled. Could it be? No, Bella's scent was different. This scent was sweeter, yet not appetizing as Bella's was. It was _the _best smell – other than Bella's – that I had ever smelled in my entire existence.

I turned around to follow it and laid my eyes on none other than my beautiful Bella. She was so beautiful; my memories had not done her justice. But after a few moments, I discovered why I had noticed changes in her voice and smell. She had been changed. I was infuriated at first that nobody had told me about this, but I cooled down once I looked into Bella's deep red eyes.

I ran up to her and pulled her into a tight hug and said the only words I could say at a moment like this.

"I love you."

The worried look she had been wearing on her face instantly turned into a smile as she leaned into me.

"I love you too," she whispered. I held her tighter to me, figuring that she had been changed so I never again had to worry about being careful with her again.

I pulled her chin up with my hand and pressed my lips to hers, being more reckless than I had ever been. She responded in the exact same way and I was reminded of just how much I had missed her.

After a few more minutes, I spoke. I had so many questions for her, but I decided to ask the most important first.

"Why are you in Houston?" I asked.

"Alice told me you would be here. I wasn't kidding when I said I was coming to find you."

"Oh." That seemed like a pretty obvious thing. Why didn't I think of that?

It was silent for many more minutes before everything I had been holding in spilled out.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I never should have left. I thought you would be better off without me. But I spoke to Angela before I got on the plane to Brazil to find you," I said in a rush. "I saw in her head just how bad it got for you. If I was human, I would imagine that I would've looked the same way. I-"

She put her hand to my mouth, stopping me from speaking. "It's ok. I know. I don't want to ever have to talk about this ever again. Let's just focus on the present."

I moved my hand to my mouth and took her hand in both of mine. "Just one question then."

"What?"

"Why are you changed?"

She hesitated, probably trying to find the right way to explain it. "Both Alice and I knew that there was no way I would ever be able to find you while I was human. So, Carlisle changed me. That was about a month ago."

Wow. She had changed herself just to find me? Why would she do that? I was going to have to have a little talk with Alice when we got home.

And then her control. If she was only a month old…we weren't that far away from people. Well, I've always found Bella to be amazing; this is just another thing to add to the list.

I thought of asking her my questions, but decided against it. I didn't want to ruin the moment by talking right now, and neither did she. We just stood there in each others' arms for the next several hours, without a care in the world, together at last.

**A/N: soooooooooooooooo............????????? what do you think? make sure to Review! **

**on another note, this is not the final chapter. tomorrow is the epilougue, which determines the fate of the entire sequel!**

**talking about this "series," I haven't explained it yet here. so, there will be 3. this one, Nowhere(which is in progress), and after that will be Anywhere. lol, like my little theme? if I can think of anything,I'll write more than the three, but for now, my mind is completely focused on Nowhere. that will be up in 2 days and will have daily updates for 7-8 days, depending on if I finish chapter 8 soon. **

**I always seem to ramble in my AN's, but I'll leave you with that. see you tomorrow!=D  
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	9. Epilogue: Beware of Alice

**A/N: and here we are! the epilogue! but it's not the end! not for a long time! because I have made a decision as a special treat for you all! I will be posting Nowhere right after this! it is totally awesome, and already as long as this, and it's not even half way done! **

**also, PAY ATTENTION in this chapter. otherwise the sequel will make no sense because there's a tie in to the epilogue. **

**Enjoy!  
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Epilogue: Beware Of Alice

Bella's POV

Eventually we had to come back to reality. We went back to the airport and got tickets to Seattle. We didn't want to go to Denali. We all ready knew that Alice would tell the rest of the family and they would be in Forks waiting for us once the decision was made.

When we got to Seattle, we quickly got into Edward's Volvo and drove back towards Forks. But we didn't head toward the house. We headed toward that little spot near a trail that we had been to what seemed like ages ago. I headed straight for the path that would lead us straight to the meadow, but Edward paused. After about a minute of looking through the car, he finally came out, a nervous look on his face.

"What were you looking for?" I asked.

"Nothing." He burst into a huge grin as he answered.

I knew something was up, but I knew he wasn't going to tell me what. So we ran up to the meadow and just lay there, a small bit of sun coming through the trees, making our skin sparkle.

After about an hour, Edward sat up. I looked at him questioningly, sitting up too. He stood up pulling me with him, before getting down on one knee.

My eyes widened, my breathing quickened, and my heartbeat sped up as I realized what he was about to do.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" I whispered, barely able to get the word out.

"Bella, I love you more than life itself. I want to be with you for the rest of eternity. Will you marry me?"

I didn't even have to think about it. I had all ready changed into a vampire for him, marriage was nothing compared to that. I wasn't able to speak, so I simply nodded. He pulled a glorious gold ring out of his pocket and slipped it onto my finger.

It was so beautiful. In the middle was a giant topaz while the band held many tiny diamonds. He must have spent a lot of money on it, but I expected that to happen if we ever got married.

He stood up, wrapped his arms around me and kissed me.

When he finally pulled away, he whispered three words. "I love you."

I smiled and repeated the same three words. We stayed in the meadow for the next hour. When we finally left, it was only to get in the car and to our destination before Alice could.

We had decided that we didn't want anything big, so we were going to Vegas to get married.

Edward drove as fast as he could down the highway. It was nearing morning when we got there. Edward parked the car outside the nearest wedding chapel. We were almost to the door when somebody pulled on the back of or jackets, holding us back.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice I knew all too well asked. We both turned our heads to see little Alice holding us back.

"Run!" I yelled. Edward and I slipped out of our jackets and ran as fast as we could behind buildings where nobody was. We ran around to the side of the chapel. The car was on the other side. We took a chance and ran through the dim morning light, too fast for any human to see. We were in the car with the doors locked and Alice yelling and banging on the door within a few seconds.

"First you deprive me of saying goodbye when you decide to leave and now I can't do your wedding? How cruel are you?! Let me in! I'm not letting you get married in Vegas! Open this door! Edward! Bella please open this door! You don't want to just get married at some tiny place in Las Vegas! You should have a wedding to remember! Please, _please, _PLEASE, open the door!!!!" Alice's ranting went on for several more minutes while we tried to figure out what to do about the angry little pixie outside the car.

"What are we going to do? She'll catch us. We can't escape!" I didn't want to deal with the wrath of Alice.

"I guess we'll have to give in." Edward sighed in defeat.

I didn't like it, but I had no chance against Alice. "Fine!" I glared at Alice as Edward unlocked the doors and Alice hopped in with a huge grin on her face. I folded my arms across my chest and stared through the windshield.

"Oh don't be that way Bella! This is for your own good!" she said.

"Whatever you say." I replied as we drove off back towards the place that would always be my home.

**A/N: awwwwwwww........it's the end. but a funny end=] look out for Nowhere. and I will make sure to put that it's the sequel to Somewhere! **

**Review!**

**bye! until we meet again! lol.  
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